Infant Toddler Learning & Development Foundations

8 months
At around 8 months of age, children
recognize familiar people,
objects, and routines in the environment
and show awareness
that familiar people still exist
even when they are no longer
physically present.
For example, the child may:
• Turn toward the front door
when hearing the doorbell ring
or toward the phone when
hearing the phone ring. (8
mos.; Meisels and others 2003,
20)
• Look for the father after he
briefly steps out of the child
care room during drop-off in
the morning. (8 mos.; Meisels
and others 2003, 20)
Chart continues on next page.
Foundation: Memory
The developing ability to store and later retrieve
information about past experiences
18 months
At around 18 months of age,
children remember typical actions
of people, the location of objects,
and steps of routines.
For example, the child may:
• Get a blanket from the doll cradle
because that is where baby
blankets are usually stored, after
the infant care teacher says,
“The baby is tired. Where’s her
blanket?” (15–18 mos.; Parks
2004, 67)
• Anticipate and participate in
the steps of a nap routine.
(18 mos.; Fogel 2001, 368)
• Watch the infant care teacher
placing a toy inside one of
three pots with lids and reach
for the correct lid when the
teacher asks where the toy
went. (8–18 mos.; Lally and
others 1995, 78–79)
• Continue to search for an
object even though it is hidden
under something distracting,
such as a soft blanket or a
crinkly piece of paper.
• See a photo of a close family
member and say his name or
hug the photo.
• Go to the cubby to get his
blanket that is inside the diaper
bag.
36 months
73
At around 36 months of age, children
anticipate the series of steps
in familiar activities, events, or
routines; remember characteristics
of the environment or people in it;
and may briefly describe recent
past events or act them out. (24–36
mos.; Seigel 1999, 33)
For example, the child may:
• Communicate, “Big slide” after
a trip to neighborhood park.
(24–36 mos.; Seigel 1999, 33)
• Tell a parent, “Today we jumped
in the puddles” when picked up
from school. (Siegel 1999, 34)
• Recall an event in the past, such
as the time a family member
came to school and made a
snack. (18–36 mos.; Siegel 1999,
46)
• Identify which child is absent
from school that day by looking
around the snack table and figuring
out who is missing. (18–36
mos.; Lally and others 1995,
78–79)
• Act out a trip to the grocery store
by getting a cart, putting food in
it, and paying for the food. (24
mos.; Bauer and Mandler 1989)
• Get her pillow out of the cubby,
in anticipation of naptime as
soon as lunch is finished.
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT